Sunday, September 6, 2009

Assignment 2 by Erick Garcia





















National Safe Boating Council
The National Safe Boating Council, also known as the NSBC, is a membership organization that includes over 330 U.S. and Canadian members. Its key goals are to reduce the amount of boating accidents and to enhance the recreational boating experience. NSBC tries to accomplish its goals by providing educational services that eventually promote the safety of the recreational boating experience. NSBC educates the public by improving the professional development of boating safety educators, distributing safe boating information, developing and recognizing outstanding boating safety programs, supporting research initiatives that strengthen boating education and safety awareness and other such forms of educating the public. The mission of the NSBC is as follows, “To enhance the safety of the recreational boating experience through education and outreach.”
The National Safe Boating Council is an agency in partner organization supporting the North American Safe Boating Campaign, NSBC along with other agencies, organizations, and councils works together to promote safe recreational boating through education. The main headquarters of NSBC are in Bristow, Virginia. The NSBC was first started in September 1958 under the name National Safe Boating Committee. It was founded to educate boaters about safe boating during National Safe Boating Week. National Safe Boating Week was started in June 1952 in Amesburg, Massachusetts. The tradition continued there until in 1957 it took place in various parts of the country and on June 4, 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill to establish National Safe Boating Week as the first week starting on the first Sunday in June. Thus the National Safe Boating Week Committee was born and was in charge of organizing the event by coordinating efforts among the various boating safety groups. The National Safe Boating Week Committee branched out on its own as the National Safe Boating Committee, Inc. in 1973 to lead major boating safety efforts. The following year, the committee was reintroduced as the National Safe Boating Council, Inc.
The National Safe Boating Council has a variety of different employment opportunities most of the employment opportunities have to do with some form of education. Most of the employment opportunities have to do with teaching. The NSBC teaches a boating safety instructor training course which uses instructors who recognize other instructors who are qualifying to meet the safety requirements of the NSBC. The NSBC also teaches close quarter boat controls. The instructors at these courses teach people how to maneuver in close situations such as traffic. The NSBC also uses instructors to teach young kids in how to practice safe boating skills and develop children’s awareness in how to be a skilled and safe boat driver. The NSBC also employs people at its headquarters in Bristow, Virginia. The NSBC also hosts annual events around the country including Canada and therefore employs people to work these annual events. For more detailed information on how to be employed contact NSBC through their webpage at http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/.
The NSBC is constantly working throughout the year to instruct and teach people on safety for recreational boating. Currently, the NSBC is working to promote its “Wear It” campaign. This campaign focuses on lifejackets and promotes people to wear a lifejacket whenever on a boat. Each summer they devote a special week to this campaign. This summer the campaign’s week was during May 16-22. In 1997, the Council joined with the National Water Safety Congress (NWSC) to create one, annual event called the International Boating and Water Safety Summit (IBWSS). The next time this summit will take place is on March 28-31, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Another recent event that the NSBC started in 2000 was the Boating Safety Sidekicks. This initiative was designed for children to learn about safe boating practices and how they can become safer boaters. The initiative uses classes to teach the kids and the classes are held throughout the year across the country, finally, the NSBC always co-hosts the National Safe Boating week which starts on the first Sunday in June. This event has taken place ever since 1952 it did not become official until 1958 but the tradition of this week still continues every year since.
Although the National Safe Boating Council does not give any exact definition on the meaning of leisure it can be assumed through the research done. The NSBC promotes leisure through recreational boating. However, it’s not just any kind of boating they promote. They promote a safe and educational boating experience. Thus it can be concluded that the National Safe Boating Council sees leisure as an activity that has to do with boating and the safe practice of it. In short I believe the NSBC’s definition of leisure would be as follows, leisure is a safe boating experience that many people can enjoy because of the safety and comfort that boating offers.
The National Safe Boating Council provides a variety of benefits to all the boaters and people involved with boating. However, the main benefit that the NSBC gives is the educational and safe approaches it teaches to all boaters young and old. The mission of the NSBC is as follows, “To enhance the safety of the recreational boating experience through education and outreach.” The NSBC strives in providing a safe and educational background for all boaters thus enabling boaters to fully enjoy the experience of boating.


After fully researching the National Safe Boating Council I have found the NSBC to be of great recreational value to boaters across the country and in Canada. There are many pros to the NSBC including safety, education, annual events, awareness programs, and other resources provided by the NSBC that allow boaters to fully enjoy the recreational boating experience while doing it in a safe and educational environment. There are hardly any cons to the NSBC. One may only find fault in the fact that the NSBC is not really heard about in the news. I for one had never heard of the NSBC until doing this research project and therefore I believe the NSBC could to a better job of advocating its cause not just to boaters but to the general public as well. The National Safe Boating Council is a public agency that fits perfectly into the leisure delivery system. It promotes boating as a form of recreation and leisure. Boating is an activity that is enjoyed outdoors by many people. The NSBC motivates people to go outside and enjoy the outdoors through the use of boating. Through boating people can participate in a variety of activities that include water skiing, scuba diving, fishing, and other such forms of activity that make the best use of a person’s leisure time. The National Safe Boat Council is a proud example of a public agency that promotes a great form of recreation and leisure making it an ideal leisure delivery system.


Works Cited:
1. http://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Safe_Boating_Council

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